The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's soccer team held on for a 3-2 victory over Daemen College in an East Coast Conference battle at Spartan Field. Brad Neal netted two goals and Brian Kinsella added three assists as the Spartans improved to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play, dropping Daemen to 2-6, 0-2.

After dropping two straight tough games in conference play, STAC jumped out early as Jack Legg's corner kick created havoc in front, with Kinsella getting a chance before Neal converted at 11:28 to put the hosts in front.

St. Thomas Aquinas carried the early play but the Wildcats found the equalizer on Cole Beale's charging header off a set piece at 37:28. Just minutes later, Chris Estavez scored his second goal in as many games, finishing a nice feed from Kinsella at 42:12 to give the Spartans a 2-1 halftime lead.

Neal needed just 1:17 after the break to extend that margin, as Kinsella's attempt hit the post before Neal put it home to make the score 3-1. Trailing by two, Daemen began to apply pressure and cut the gap to 3-2 with Kyle Tracy's finish at 76:02. Though the Wildcats would press, the Spartans would hold on for the win, their third overall in their past five games.

Jack Nicholson made three saves in the Spartan net, including a beautiful right-handed dive in the waning minutes, to earn his first victory. STAC ended up with a narrow 18-17 edge in shots for the afternoon.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday, October 3, when Queens College visits for another ECC contest. Game time is set for 3:00 pm, as the back end of a twin-bill featuring the women's teams starting at 12:00 noon.